This article provides a brief description of my first beekeeping main lesson block and my experiences. It was published eight years ago in the Beekeeping Journal and can assist teachers in designing their lessons. Since then, I’ve taught dozens of similar blocks at various schools. In my experience, I’m usually invited either when a school needs a temporary substitute for a few weeks or when a class teacher feels unsure about teaching the subject themselves.
My fascination with bees began in my childhood when, at the age of 14, I helped my grandfather with his beekeeping. Later, as a Waldorf teacher, I started my own beekeeping activities, continually learning, observing bees, and documenting them through photography and video. Ten years ago, I began offering beekeeping main lesson blocks for Waldorf schools in Austria and Hungary.
If anyone needs help organizing a beekeeping block or simply wants more information, feel free to contact me (hevesim@yahoo.com). This main lesson block can be tailored for any grade from 1st through 12th, and its duration can range from a few days to 2–3 weeks, depending on the class’s age and needs.
“How It All Began: My First Experience with a Beekeeping Main Lesson Block”
Late last year, I contacted several schools in Austria, offering to teach beekeeping. To my great delight, three schools responded, and one invited me, after a phone conversation, to teach my first beekeeping block for a 7th-grade class.
This became an extraordinary experience for me.
For two weeks, a total of 20 hours, we delved into the fascinating world of bees with the students. I aimed to make the subject as practical and engaging as possible. My goal was to introduce the students to bees, impart fundamental knowledge in a playful and exciting way, and spark their long-term interest in nature. I believe it’s essential to develop an appreciation for bees and their products—honey, propolis, wax, pollen, bee bread, and even bee venom.
Whenever the weather allowed, we opened a beehive from the school’s apiary or brought an observation hive with live bees into the classroom. (At schools without an apiary, it’s worth contacting a local beekeeper—many are in the school community or among parents—to borrow a frame with bees for the observation hive or even a few empty frames and beekeeping equipment.) The children were so enthusiastic that they gathered around the observation hive even during breaks, closely watching the bees’ behavior.
The First Week
Monday: Before the lesson began, I placed a beehive on the table without revealing that it was empty, which created some excitement. We set the tone with a lovely poem, songs, and “bee movements,” which we repeated daily, adding new elements throughout the block.
My favorite poem:
“Those who wish to increase their wealth
Should take the bees as an example.
They gather honey without harming the flowers;
They even benefit the flowers.
Gather your wealth without destroying its source,
And it will steadily grow.” (Anonymous)
Next, we played a simple ball game to help me learn the students’ names. From the first day, the students asked numerous questions, leading us to explore topics like beekeeping in ancient Egypt, the bee dance, and the value of beeswax in the Middle Ages. Some of their many questions included: What happens if two queens are in the same hive? How much honey can a single bee collect? I tried to provide vivid and engaging answers. We also sang songs, repeating them daily as part of the introductory phase.
Tuesday: The day before, I had drawn a bee and a hive on the blackboard. The students eagerly copied these into their notebooks as we discussed the anatomy of bees. Drawing was an important step, as it helped the students understand the proportions and placement of different body parts, ensuring they didn’t confuse honeybees with wasps or other bee species. Beautiful and detailed drawings emerged, though their quality wasn’t the main focus.
Wednesday: We explored the differences between the queen, drones, and worker bees. Using photos from my own apiary, we searched for the queen and studied the hive’s internal structure. It was fascinating to see how the students became increasingly adept at spotting details in the honeycomb.
Thursday: I explained the sensory organs of bees. Students experimented with perceiving the world as bees might—blindfolded, they identified scents like honey, wax, propolis, or lemon balm. They greatly enjoyed the activity, and I explained the importance of smell, the bee dance, and other vibrations in the hive, which bees use to share vital information.
Friday: We discussed the developmental stages of bees. The students handled an empty foundation and a honey-filled frame, marveling at the weight difference and the remarkable hexagonal structure of the cells, which can support about 30 times their own weight. A video I had recently filmed in my apiary, showing a bee emerging from its cell, captivated us all. (The use of videos should be cleared with the class teacher. In some Waldorf schools, videos are avoided entirely, but in this 7th-grade class, it wasn’t an issue.)
The Second Week
Monday and Tuesday: For students who had missed lessons due to orchestra rehearsals, we reviewed the material, giving the entire class an opportunity to delve deeper into what they had already learned. Then, we went outside to retrieve a frame from the school’s hive. The observation hive with live bees became a focal point of the classroom, where everyone curiously watched their behavior.
I also introduced a card game I had developed using photographs from my own apiary, depicting essential hive activities and phenomena.
Wednesday: We explored various types of honey, tasting honey, bee pollen, and bee bread. We even discussed honeydew honey, which was new to many students. They also learned that honey’s antibacterial properties make it useful in medicine, not just in alternative treatments but even in surgeries.
Thursday: We played a special “honey game.” Blindfolded, students distinguished sugar water from acacia or sunflower honey. Then, I showed a captivating short video on the 21-day development from larva to bee.
Friday: On the final day, we summarized what we had learned. The students asked more questions, now showing deeper understanding and insight. We concluded with a nature documentary about bees—something of a reward, as by then, we had all “learned the language” of bees (their dances, scent trails, and vibrations).
Conclusion
These two weeks were a formative experience for me as well. I witnessed how the world of bees came alive for the students and how their awareness and attentiveness grew. I hope these impressions will stay with them and that some may become future beekeepers or environmental advocates. In future blocks, I plan to include not just honeybees but other bee species as well.
Mihaly Hevesi (Teacher, author)
